Beer Calendar: Hops, Key Lime, Brewery Anniversaries and a Call to Arms

Two beer-related Colorado crowdfunding campaigns have recently launched. The first is for Lady Justice Brewing Company, which describes itself as "the world’s first solely women-run, community-focused philanthropic brewery." The three women behind the concept — which would be organized as a low-profit limited-liability company — are looking to raise $15,000 to purchase professional-grade equipment and to pay licensing costs. The campaign will be open until August 17.

The second is for beerfestivalfinder.com, which is seeking $15,000 to create a website that would help people who can't figure out when or where beer festivals are taking place. "We love beer festivals. It's not one thing about them; it's everything. The people. The atmosphere. And, of course, the beer! However, we always hear about them once they are sold out. We want a way to search for upcoming festivals, whether at home or on the go, so that everyone can be 'in the know,'" the founder says.

Wednesday, July 15
Old Chicago has teamed up with Aurora's Dry Dock Brewing on a new beer that will be served this month at some Colorado locations (Aurora-Southlands, Aurora, Arapahoe Crossings-Aurora, Littleton, Thornton, Grant-Thornton and Lakewood) as part of the restaurant company's continuing Explorer Series. To make the 6.1 percent ABV beer, called Grapefruit IPA, Old Chicago employees went to Dry Dock's original South Dock location on East Hampden Avenue to work with head brewer Tim Evon. His tasting notes read: "The light sweetness of Golden Promise and CaraRuby malts provide the base to this IPA for the summer hop head. We loaded it with Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops to take advantage of their potential to impart grapefruit character before adding actual grapefruit peel and juice. The result is a summer IPA with huge hop character, smooth fruitiness and a refreshingly tart finish." The Old Chicagos will also be pouring Dry Dock's Apricot Blonde, Hefeweizen, Amber Ale and Vanilla Porter. Grapefruit IPA will be available at Dry Dock, too.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will release its newest specialty one-off beer, Key Lime Tau (2?), at its tap room today at 6 p.m. "Key Lime Tau (2?) was brewed in collaboration with Hawkshead Brewery in the United Kingdom as part of the Trans-Atlantic Rainbow Project, a series that challenges brewers to come together and brew a beer inspired by a color," Crooked Stave says. "In its third year, the 2015 project involved seven U.K. breweries, each paired with a different American brewery and randomly assigned a color...Key Lime Tau (7.0 percent ABV), brewed to embody the color green, is amixed-culture fermentation ale aged in oak with lactose, fresh lime peel and fresh lemongrass."

Joyride Brewing will celebrate its first anniversary today by leading a bike ride around neighboring Sloan's Lake; riders will get a free beer when they get back. The ride will start next door to the brewery, at Yawp Cyclery, at 7 p.m. Joyride will also tap its anniversary triple IPA, Straight Outta Hopton. Another anniversary party will take place on July 25.

It's saison month at the Copper Kettle, which will tap a firkin of Brown Saison today at noon. It will have "an elevated flavor of spices due to the yeast," the brewery says. Pavy's food truck will be there with gourmet sandwiches.

Thursday, July 16
Call to Arms Brewing will open its doors for the first time today at noon. Denver's newest brewery was founded by three former Avery Brewing employees — Chris Bell, Jesse Brookstein and Jon Cross — and is located inside John’s Garage, which used to act as a residence/motorcycle workshop and will eventually hold a pizza/Mexican food restaurant as well. Call to Arms will start with eight beers on tap: Clintonian Pale Ale; Oats and Hose Oatmeal Porter; Burkhalter Dunkelweizen; Amigos Borrachos Vienna Lager; Lobsterback IPA, an English-style IPA brewed and dry-hopped in the West Coast style; Landbier, an interpretation of an obscure beer that may have been brewed prior to the introduction of lagers and technological advances in kilning; Gluten Powerful Wit, a Belgian wit brewed with pink grapefruit and cardamom; and Zoiglbier, another rarely brewed German style. The tap room will be open seven days a week and will also sell provisions made by local retailers, including the Real Dill, RedCamper, Elevation Organic Ketchup, Quinn Popcorn, Strongwater Spirits & Botanicals and South Boulder Sauces.

Factotum Brewhouse will serve the latest beer brewed there by homebrewers today at 6 p.m. John Emrich and Toby Gerard brewed a Biere de Garde called Conundrum; it's the first French ale Factotum has featured. The brewers will be on hand at 6 p.m. to talk beer and hang out; 5280 Sliders will satisfy all food needs.

Denver Beer Co's fifth annual Hop Swap takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. today, when the brewery will give away 150 American Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hop plants for Denverites to grow in their own back yards. The hop starters from Summit Plant Labs are well suited to grow in Colorado’s Front Range climate, the brewery says: "Once the hops mature in the fall, Hop Swap participants will bring their hop harvest back to the brewery, where they will be used in a true 'local' brew. Hop Swap farmers will have the opportunity to help Denver Beer Co. brewers craft a traditional American Pale Ale made with their own hops. Once the Hop Swap beer is ready for drinking, Hop Swap farmers will be invited in to pick up a complimentary growler of their homegrown Hop Swap Ale."

Friday, July 17
Coda Brewing will tap Brian's Samoa Dat Porter today at 5 p.m. The beer is a porter with organic toasted coconut and chocolate. It was the winner of a Girl Scout cookie beer-clone competition hosted by the Fermentologists. It was brewed on the pilot system.

Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton will celebrate its first anniversary with a three-day party beginning today at 3 p.m. The brewery will tap limited releases, including Bourbon Barrel Helluva Caucasian, Cabernet Barrel Blackberry. There will be live music from Whiskey Market and food from Rolling Italian and Tony Guacamole.

Saturday, July 18
Bottle-cap artist Amanda Willshire, of Awd aRT, will host a cap-sorting party today from 3 to 6 p.m. at Mockery Brewing. Help her sort thousands of bottle caps by color, and your first beer is on Willshire. You can also check out a few pieces of her amazing work, which are hanging on the wall at Mockery, including a gigantic US flag containing about 7500 caps.

Join Breckenridge Brewery today for its annual Hootenanny. This one is extra-special, because it celebrates both the brewery's move to its farm-like, twelve-acre campus in Littleton and Breck's 25th anniversary. "To commemorate the 25-year milestone, Breckenridge Brewery joined forces with Leftover Salmon to create a collaborative limited-release beer, packaged exclusively with Leftover Salmon's brand-new, 25-song live album," Breck reports. "The collaboration beer and live album will debut at the Hootenanny." Leftover Salmon featuring Bill Payne will be headlining; also performing will be Anders Osborne, Zach Deputy and MilkDrive. A second stage hosted by WinterWonderGrass Festival will feature The Drunken Hearts, Chain Station, Colorado Goat Ropers Guild, a second MilkDrive set and a special set with The WinterWonderGrass Allstars. General-admission tix are $45, while VIP are $95. They include music, food from the annual pig roast and lots of beer; some of the proceeds will benefit Conscious Alliance, a Colorado-based nonprofit that fights hunger.

Declaration Brewing has teamed up with the Modern Eater radio show (which airs every Saturday at 6 p.m. on AM 630 KHOW and on iHeart Radio) to throw a Beer Garden Summer Bash today starting at noon. There will be a ping-pong tournament, cornhole and other games, contests, special beer and food pairings, prizes and giveaways. The Tony Guacamole Food Truck will be on hand, and Modern Eater will do its broadcast from the brewery.

Finkel & Garf Brewing in Boulder will celebrate its one-year anniversary from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. today; it will also release an anniversary beer, Lemon Saison. The brewery is buying everyone's first beer and entering guests into its swag raffle. 

Großen Bart Brewing — the Longmont beer maker with the facial-hair theme — will host its inaugural Longmont Mane Festival from 2 to 8 p.m. today at the tap room. Owners Shad Chancey and Taylor Wise plan to fete "beers, beards and community" at the fest, which will include a Beard & Mustache Contest (it costs $10 to enter at the brewery's website) from 4 to 5 p.m., featuring categories like "The Business Beard," "The Groomed Beard," The Full Beard Natural,"  "The Styled Mustache," "The Natural Mustache," "The Goatee" and "Sideburns & Chops." There will also be a "Whiskerella" category for women and a "Freestyle" category for "particularly creative and outlandish facial hair." Other features include live music from 2 to 8 p.m., food trucks all day long, free beard and mustache trims by Sean Murphy, mustache rides (Speed/Obstacle Race on Adult Big Wheels), mustache tattoos (fake), facial hair-themed vendors and lots of beer. Tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door.

Twisted Pine Brewing in Boulder will celebrate its twentieth anniversary today from 2 to 7 p.m. with an indoor/outdoor party. There will be live music from members of Head for the Hills, Augustus and Dear Landlords, life-sized lot games, and food from Umami Mobile Eatery. Plus, the brewery will release Twenty to Life, "a canary-colored Belgo-American ale with a light, bright body and tropical fruit finish." Twisted Pine will tap other special treats throughout the day. Tickets are $5.

Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton will continue its three-day anniversary party today at 1 p.m. by tapping Double Barrel Gin Wit and Barrel Aged Tripel. There will be live music and food from Maine Street Barbeque and Dude With the Food.

Sunday, July 19
The fourth annual A Night to Remember beer festival takes place today from 4 to 8 p.m. at Four Mile Historic Park, honoring the twelve people who were killed in the Aurora theater shootings in 2012. One of those was Alex Teves, the 28th member of the Brew Club at Copper Kettle Brewing, which co-founded the festival; proceeds from the event go to the Alexander C Teves Foundation, which benefits the Humanex Academy, providing scholarships for "students with unique academic, social, or emotional needs." There will be beers from 29 breweries, as well as food trucks, live music, a silent auction and prizes.

Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton will conclude its three-day anniversary party today by tapping Cabernet Barrel Belgian Peach Apricot. There will be food from Churn & Burn and Roaming Bull.

Wednesday, July 22
Copper Kettle Brewing will tap a firkin of Imperial Saison today at 2 p.m. as part of its Saison Month.  The Imperial Saison has a higher alcohol content and more flavor. Pavys food truck will be on hand with gourmet sandwiches.

Friday, July 24
Avery Brewing will hold a release party for the 2015 edition of the Beast. Bottles and draft will be available starting at 5 p.m. They will also celebrate this first installation of their Demons of Ale series by offering vintages of the Beast from Adam Avery's cellar.

Copper Kettle Brewing will tap a version of its Mexican Chocolate Stout aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels (for four months) today. There is only one keg of this beer (meaning it is very limited) and only ten cases of bottles in the tasting room. Hamborghini food truck will be out front selling burgers at 5 p.m.

Saturday, July 25
One of the first of the fourth-wave craft breweries in Colorado — and the first in Loveland — Grimm Brothers Brewhouse will celebrate its fifth anniversary today with a party from noon to 9 p.m. Co-founders Aaron Heaton and Don Chapman first met as members of the Fort Collins home-brewing club Liquid Mechanics. "They were inspired by the German beer styles and resurrecting lost ancient recipes," the brewery says. "The idea for the name came from Don’s wife and brings the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm to life in the form of beer, with each being named after or from a part of the stories. From the beginning, the guys teamed up with local artist Josh Emrich, who has designed many beloved characters and continues to provide the art for the brand today." The party will include special beer releases throughout the day; live music by Cable Ten, The Waido Experience, Taggart & Silas and Leaded; burgers and brats by Big Thompson Kiwanis Club; mini golf and Hammerschlagen; and a chance to win free beer for a year.

Sunday, July 26
Saint Patrick's Brewing in Littleton will release the first batch of its Brewmaster's Reserve Series today at noon. The series features bottles of six Kolsch-style "orchard lagers": Dry-Hopped Peach, Mango Coconut, Peach Pie, Strawberry Jasmine, Strawberry Tangerine, and Sweet & Sour Mojito. The party runs until 7 p.m. 

Tuesday, July 27
Upslope Brewing will debut a new series of 19.2-ounce cans today. "The Tap Room Series cans will consist of brewer-selected beers that have been vetted in Upslope’s tap rooms," the Boulder brewery explains. "Unlike the barrel aged Lee Hill Series that was introduced last summer, which are often intended to be cellared, the highly approachable new series of beers are crafted to be consumed brewery-fresh." The first in the series, a 5.9 percent ABV Citra Pale Ale, will be available for purchase at one of Upslope’s two Boulder tap rooms and at select retailers starting today. "The Citra hops used to brew this American Pale Ale impart distinctive citrus and tropical fruit flavors. With a moderately dry finish and a spicy hop character that approaches that of an IPA, this beer has been a top seller in our tap rooms since its release."

Thursday, July 30
As part of Brews for a Cure, Factotum Brewhouse will donate 40 percent of every full pour of beer sold from 4 to 10 p.m. today to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk fundraiser. There is also a $5 suggested donation at the door. There will be live music, silent auction items and food from 5280 Sliders and Sugar Crystal's.

Saturday, August 1
The second annual Sesh Fest, featuring beers that weigh in at 5 percent alcohol by volume or less, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. today at Sculpture Park. Hosted by Imbibe Events and the Colorado Brewers Guild, the event is a fundraiser for the Guild, which represents most of Colorado's breweries. Why have a low-alcohol-beer fest? "Coloradans are known for being outdoorsy. One favorite summer activity is day drinking outside in a park, on top of a 14er or on the river," the Guild says. "When planning to drink for several hours, one wants to enjoy something light, refreshing and full of flavor." Tickets are $25 and on sale now at www.seshfest.com, where you can also find the list of participating breweries.

Join Alpine Dog Brewing, Mockery Brewing and Renegade Brewing for their Inaugural Summer Brew Crawl. Start at Mockery Brewing at 2 p.m. and then bike to Alpine Dog for a few rounds. Then, pedal to Renegade to enjoy their new patio. Participation is free.

Sunday, August 2
The Post Brewing Company will host Jack’s Benevolent Bash from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Koenig Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The event benefits the Autism Society of Boulder County and the Jack Ferrigno Send a Kid to Camp Grant, which was created by Post chef Brett Smith, "in honor of his dear friend John Ferrigno's son Jack, who had autism and passed away due to a seizure disorder when he was only eight years old." Over the last three years, the organization has raised $75,000 "to send more than 150 developmentally challenged kids to fun, confidence-building summer camps." Tickets cost $100 per person at www.autismboulder.org and include beers from the Post, Avery, Wonderland, Odd 13, Liquid Mechanics, BRU and Industrial Revolution, and food from a variety of big-name local chefs, including Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly Market, Ian Clark of BRU and many others. There will be live music from the Adam Bodine Trio. Radio personality Bret Saunders will emcee, and there will be a raffle. 

Saturday, August 8
Denver Beer Co will mark four freakin' years today with a birthday party from 2 to 10 p.m. The Freakin' Four Years event is a block party with a full lineup of music, food trucks and beer.

Avery Brewing will celebrate its 22nd anniversary today with a giant bash from 4 to 8 p.m. Since it's the first anniversary party in the brewery's new digs, Avery founder Adam Avery "is digging deep into his cellar and is pulling out rare and vintage beers to share," the brewery says. Tickets are $40 and include six brews, a commemorative glass and live tunes. Each drink ticket is good for a twelve-ounce pour of beers that are less than 8 percent ABV or an eight-ounce pours of beers 8-12 percent ABV, or a four-ounce pour of beer that are 12 percent or higher or aged in barrels. There will be barbecue available.

Saturday, August 15
Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden and Call to Arms Brewing (which is scheduled to open in July in Denver) have brewed the second beer in their Peace & Assist collaborative project, this time in conjunction with Bery's Beer Company in Denver, which will host a tapping party beginning at noon today. The series is a cheeky play on the cease-and-desist letters that have become commonplace in the past few years in the craft-brewing industry concerning beer names and trademarks. In addition to Peace & Assist Collaboration Brew No. 2, Beryl's will tap several other special beers throughout the day. There will also be food trucks, live music and outdoor games.

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